Hi All, I have started doing some MMA training and have been introduced to my first wrestling takedown, called a "body lock". You guys probably know it but just to be clear, it involved throwing your opponent to their back and you coming down on top of them - hopefully in mount. I understand it is a Greco-Roman throw. It seems potentially dangerous, even in training, due to the fact that you are falling on them. It seems to me that someone could accidentially break your ribs or inflict internal injuries. I have two questions: Are Greco-Roman wrestling throws all (or mostly) potentially dangerous like this or does the GR style have a good number of "safe throws" like leg dives, heel picks etc? Is freestyle wrestling training safer than Greco-Roman? Thank you
The human body is FAR more resiliant than you seen to think. A body lock suplex is not an excessively high impact throw, but they are disconcerting when you begin learning them. I always preferred being suplexed to someone hitting me with a high double. All Greco-Roman throws are allowed in freestyle as far as I am aware, but Greco-Roman does have a bigger focus on Suplexes due to rules prohibiting holds below the waist. Both arts have big throws, and being thrown will take a bit of getting used to.
Throws can be dangerous. My teammate had both forearms broken in a tourney when I was in high school when he failed to wrap when being taken down using a supplex. To be fair it doesn't happen that often. LFD
throws and takedowns can be dangerous (am limping abit this morning due to a seminar on judo for no gi grappling given by Neil Adams last night) most injuries from throws in my experience come when you either don’t know how to break fall out of a throw or when you are trying to be nice to the opponent...if you commit to the throw with good energy and both have trained in how to throw and be thrown it’s not that bad But any takedown has the potential to hurt someone hence most BJJ and no gi clubs spend more time on ground fighting than throwing
Greco Roman is upper body attacks only. So lots of suplexes, arm drags, waist lock throws etc. Freestyle Wrestling is everything. Both have advantages and disadvantages and yes there are always risks, in the end its chucking people in the air and onto the ground. But not as many as one may think...
Which Type Thanks for the helpful comments. So to learn leg dives (e.g. heel picks) I should go to a Freestyle Wrestling club - is that correct?
Yes, or Judo or other grappling clubs. Usually Freestyle clubs also train greco as its not that different, just different rulesets. Its not distinctive enough to have differing coaches (in my opinion).
Depends on the judo club, but you might find one that teaches old techniques like leg grabs and ankle picks
